Friday was my last day with the Foreign Service (or at least as an employee)! I’m officially retired. I was happy to share a going-away celebration at work with my colleague Puri (short for Purificación) on Thursday, followed by the embassy’s hail and farewell happy hour at the quincho (BBQ area) for everyone coming and going this summer. I was touched by the nice tribute. I also got this certificate that goes with the flag the consular managers gave me:
Friday we said goodbye to our lovely Pilar who has taken such good care of us and Flavia for the last three years:
Thursday evening I met Rachel S and Lea at Corte Comedor for a great steak. Friday Lorena came for our last weekly massage – boy will we miss that! And Saturday morning Juli came for my last mani-pedi — another home service I will miss mightily! After that, Lea and Jose popped in for a final goodbye and to pick up some things they can use as they go into packout.
I was completely blown away Thursday evening when I got a link to a goodbye video that Dan K and Lea put together with some of my favorite people around the globe! What an incredible gift that left me in tears.
Friday night, the sky put on a lovely show for us:
Saturday night, we flew from Buenos Aires to Little Rock, via Atlanta. Despite my incessant worrying about Flavia, she did great on the flight. I booked an extra seat so she and I would have a bit more room (she can’t fly business, boo) and everything was super-smooth. Our fabulous vet Leticia had done the paperwork for me and all I had to do was check in at the government animal control counter ahead of checking in with Delta – no problems! And everyone at Delta was super-nice as well. Until we are wheels up, I’m a nervous wreck with her but everything was fine and she was a trooper!
We had a quick visit with David and Alison before John and I crashed. I was thankful that Alison had put salad and a roasted chicken in the fridge for us, because we were so exhausted, I don’t think we could have made it to the grocery store! Flavia gave us a bit of a scare as the sedatives we gave her on the flight wore off – she was limp as a noodle for hours, but this morning she woke up fit as a fiddle and crying for breakfast!
We are glad to be home. Buenos Aires was a good tour, but with many hard days. I leave the Foreign Service very proud of what I’ve accomplished and I look forward to the next chapter!